Labyrinths…

...can be thought of as symbolic forms of pilgrimage; people can walk the path, ascending toward salvation or enlightenment. Many people could not afford to travel to holy sites and lands, so labyrinths and prayer substituted for such travel. Later, the religious significance of labyrinths faded, and they served primarily for entertainment, though recently their spiritual aspect has seen a resurgence.
Many newly made labyrinths exist today, in churches and parks. Labyrinths are used by modern mystics to help achieve a contemplative state. Walking among the turnings, one loses track of direction and of the outside world, and thus quiets his mind. The result is a relaxed mental attitude, free of internal dialog. This is a form of meditation. Many people believe that meditation has health benefits as well as spiritual benefits.

To make this kind of labyrinth, you definitely need to plan ahead enough to bring your trust lawn rake with you. This creates a much bigger labyrinth and allows more artistic possibilities (as seen in the second picture below). Consider making these labyrinths near a cliff where they can be looked down upon by other.

Keep in mind when using the rake, you’re not creating the path but the barriers around the path. Comprendo?

Have you ever made a beach labyrinth? Have you ever made one like this with a rake? Do you have photos?

World Labyrinth day 2017 where we live in Brive-la-Gaillarde, France, was a very rainy day, so we decided to postpone our labyrinth celebration a few days later. My wife and I, along with a few friends, created these three labyrinths in the center of our town.

Again, IF you’re one of the lucky ones among us who goes to the beach this summer, consider building a Beach Labyrinth…..definitely a step up from the boring old sand castle. The labyrinth pictured below is a bit more complex and time consuming than the simple stick model that I discussed here in this post.

The path of this labyrinth has been dug into the sand. It could be a bit tricky to walk through but that could just add to the experience.

You can always view various “labyrinth designs” in the browser of your smart phone. The great thing about beach labyrinths is that you can easy cover up a mistake and start all over again with a quick brushing over with the sand.

Have you ever made a beach labyrinth? How did it go? Do you have photos?